Oil pollution in water bodies is a serious and globally increasing environmental problem. The focus of public interest is mostly on major marine catastrophes on drilling platforms and in tanker accidents. Much more frequent and ultimately economically and ecologically significant, on the other hand, are everyday oil films occurring on manageable areas such as ponds or harbour basins. These are caused by accidents or carelessness when handling fuel oil tanks, machine oil or internal combustion engines, etc. Oil-binding chemicals are often used to remove such contaminants, which, if not completely removed, cause additional damage. The aim of the presented project is to develop a sustainable way, based on purely physical principles, to remove such oil films effectively and in an environmentally friendly manner.

The approach is based on biomimetic, super-hydrophobic surfaces. It was found that...